Heart of Gold
by Shelbey
Summary: Our Time is Here, 2 of 18. Maybe two airheads could be smarter than one. Or perhaps not. There was only one way to find out, and Ella was determined to do just that. Jason/Ella


Summary: Maybe two airheads could be smarter than one

**Summary:** Maybe two airheads could be smarter than one. Or perhaps not. There was only one way to find out, and Ella was determined to do just that. Jason/Ella

Ella looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was perfect, her make up was perfect, and her clothes were perfect. She smiled. Even her smile was perfect. Which meant, of course, that she was ready to go and face her decision. The black haired girl let out a despondent sigh and sat on her bed, resting her chin in her hand.

Darn it.

She tried to waste as much time as possible, to procrastinate against the inevitable. But since she had done everything she could think of, there was nothing left to do. Leaving her with the only option she had available to her: go find him.

It wasn't really her fault. After all, he had been so nice to her after Final Jam, even if half the time what he said confused her a lot. But that wasn't her main concern at the moment. Her mind was constantly trailing back to him, no matter what she did.

She had been brushing her hair, and it reminded her of his hand touching her silky tresses accidentally in passing. Painting on nail polish make her think of what it would be like to experience his hand in hers. Putting clothes on made her wonder how it would feel to be held in his arms. And applying her lip gloss… well, that one was self explanatory, and her imagination made her blush a little bit.

But she really couldn't help the way she felt. Her heart just seemed to go out to Jason like a homing device, like an attraction that she couldn't deny.

The worst part was that Camp Rock was almost over, and she was afraid of what might happen if she didn't tell him how she felt. She was no Tess; she wasn't outgoing enough to tell a boy she liked how she felt. Rejection was not something Ella could handle, especially from him. That would break her heart.

"Ella?" she turned around in her seat and saw Peggy leaning against the doorframe of their cabin. "What's the matter? You seem a little down."

The girl laughed cheerfully and waved her hand. "No," she said with a smile. "I'm just really tired. It's been a long day you know!"

Peggy frowned. "It's only noon, Ella."

"See what I mean?" she insisted, turning back to the mirror she had been admiring herself in before Peggy had so rudely interrupted. There was silence behind her, so she assumed Peggy had left. She slumped against the dresser and sighed, staring out into the wilderness that surrounded the camp.

"I knew something was wrong." Ella nearly jumped out of her skin as Peggy leaned over to her, her eyebrows furrowed in worry. She let out her held breath and stared at her best friend, her sweet face crumpled in sadness. "What's the matter, girl? Why are you so upset?"

She whispered, "Camp's almost over, Peggy. And… I haven't told him yet." Margaret Dupree was silent for a moment, watching the young Hispanic girl as she wrung out her hands. She reached out to squeeze Ella's hand and shook her head.

"You mean Jason?" she asked softly, and Ella nodded, putting her face against the dresser again. "Why not? I thought you were going to."

"I couldn't do it, Peggy. I was too scared that he'd say no."

Peggy couldn't help but smile. "Say no? To an amazing girl like you? I don't think that'll happen, Ella." She bit the inside of her lip as the dark haired girl continued. "I think you should go say something. He's crazy if he doesn't think he's lucky to get you."

--

Ella stood at the dock, watching Jason, Nate, and Shane as they talked amongst themselves by the canoes. She was nervous, shy, but what Peggy said had given her a little bit more confidence than she had earlier. She leaned against a tree, waiting for the right moment. Ella didn't want to do it in front of Shane and Nate, it was nerve wracking enough to just do it at all.

"Hey, did you need something?" She felt her breath catch as Shane Gray looked over his friends' shoulders at her, his expression blank, as if he didn't know what to think.

She was frozen. "Uh…" she started, not knowing what to say. "I…" Jason turned around to look at her, his usual smile in place on his lips.

He called, "Do you? Because I can help you if you do. So can Shane!" He held up a wooden box and grinned. "He's great at making birdhouses." Nate and Shane glanced at each other and snorted into their hands, trying to keep it quiet so that Jason didn't notice their laughter.

Seeing her chance, Ella snagged it. "Oh, yeah, Jason! I think I found something of yours, but I'm not sure."

"I didn't lose anything," he said, oblivious.

She frowned slightly. "I'm _pretty_ sure it's yours Jason. Come with me, I'll show you."

"But I—"

"Jason." Shane stood up and gave Ella a wink behind his back, pushing Jason along. He insisted, "Go on, man. Better be sure that you don't leave anything behind before we leave camp." Jason nodded in confusion, following behind Ella as Nate put his face in his hands. That boy was too slow for his own good.

"What did you need help with again?" Jason asked as they a fair distance away from the rest of Connect Three. She paused and took a deep breath, turning to face him. "Ella?"

"Jason, I have to tell you something." She let out her breath and said, "I really like you Jason."

He smiled, "Aw, I really like you too, Ella!"

For a moment she was stunned, but then it dawned on her that he didn't understand what she meant. "No, Jason. I mean, I like you _a lot_."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I like you a lot, too. You could have told me that in front of Shane and Nate, Ella. I know they like you too!" His innocent expression was slightly unnerving.

Ella didn't know how to be anymore direct than that… Then something occurred to her. "Jason, can you lean down, it's hard for me to see you," she asked sweetly. He did as directed, his head tilted cutely to the side.

She grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him, startling him slightly. "Jason, listen. _I love you_." He blinked and his eyes widened.

"Ooh!" he said with a smile. "Silly Ella, why didn't you just say that? You're really confusing." Before she could contradict, he took her hand and wrapped his free arm around his waist. He pressed a light kiss to her lips and she felt a blush rise in her cheeks. "I wanted to tell you the same thing."

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Ella?" Jason asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to give you something!" He held out something to her, and she realized it was the birdhouse Shane had made him.

She blinked and her jaw was slightly open. "Uh… Thank you?" She smiled and kissed his cheek. This boy was so sweet, he had a heart of gold. If she didn't know that before, then she really knew it now. And it made her happier than she's ever been in her life.


End file.
